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Classes are big, students do very little in depth writing or reading. The student are from well educated families so they are smart in general, but there is not much rigor here. And it's getting very crowded. The fine arts programs and athletics are solid, but as the school grows and grows, only the top kids will get to participate at any level of sports.

- submitted by a community member

April 13, 2015

Not what you expect from a top rated school... Too many kids in classes(27-29), not enough challenge for my honor student (seriously, generic worksheets???) who is in AP classes. Definitely a disappointment, we are looking into private schools.

- submitted by a parent

February 23, 2015

Homework is a major issue Gorzycki can work on. He does not learn anything from it; he learns no skills he will use later in life or currently. The worksheets are straight from a book and no effort is made for homework help when I request tortoring sessions.Even the art class is very text-book-encouraging too. Projects are also from a website and very painstaking to get the correct supplies for. No creative notion is made in any classwork, homework, or some projects.(ex. i-search project) Simply terrible! My child is becoming a drone!

- submitted by a parent

November 25, 2014

We are new to TX and I must say I was overwhelmed with moving, adjusting kids to school etc....the registration process was easy, staff was nice, teachers have been wonderful, the electives there are amazing such variety, my son has never been so happy with a school! I do think the parent portal and cloud stuff is ridiculous and too hard to access. So far I am very impressed with AISD and Gorzycki.

- submitted by a parent

May 10, 2014

My son is finishing 7th grade at Gorzycki. We have been extremely pleased with the school overall. Communication between teachers and parents is very well done. Communication between the school and parents is also well done. The band program is extraordinary. The band teachers teach with dedication and excellence, while genuinely caring for the students.

- submitted by a parent

March 17, 2014

Huge disappointment. The average class size is 27 students. Teaching strategies consist of "warm-ups" (teach yourself), worksheet packets and electronic worksheets such as Achieve 3000 and Think Through Math. Class periods are brief (42 minutes), and a lot of work is sent home for parents to go over with their children. On a positive note, the campus appears clean and safe.

- submitted by a parent

December 08, 2013

We struggled with whether to send our child to a magnet or the local junior high. In the end, we chose the latter and are so thankful we did! Gorzycki is truly a great school with an amazing Fine Arts program, accelerated math classes, and challenging pre-AP core classes. My only complaint is that classes are short and class sizes are large, but that is an inherent problem with Texas public schools and the only way to make classes longer is to cut other programs which I personally am not in favor of. In my opinion, curriculum should extend to the home and it s up to the parents to enforce homework and enrich it by exposing their children to other education experiences through books, travels and even games. As for Gorzycki, you couldn t ask for a better school or find teachers who care more. It is a safe place for children to make their transition from elementary to high school and gain confidence as they do so. I will also add that the principal and counselors are very accessible via email or a phone call.

- submitted by a parent

November 15, 2013

Gorzycki Middle school - very disappointing. We moved to the area and our daughter had to attend this school. The politics amongst the parents makes you the parent feel like you yourself are back in middle school. A group of us parents can't get over this. And this is supposed to be a better school?? The other school we went to was much, much better, again VERY disappointing.

- submitted by a community member

August 12, 2013

Gorzycki is a very white, very average, and very pretty school. Almost all of the student body are white overly sheltered and heavily religious. The pre-AP option does nothing at all, and pre-AP kids are not separated from those taking academic. It's very common for actual class room discussion to be squashed in an attempt to keep everything PC and teachers often act disinterested, bored and unprepared. Though the Gorzycki art, theater and orchestra programs are top notch, academically the school leaves much to be desired. To sum it up: It's a very white, very conservative school for the middle class white kids that were too scared to go near Small or Bedichek.

- submitted by a community member

July 28, 2013

my school is cowan elemantary school it is a great school with activites to have fun and learn ! we have plays in almost every grade ! in 5th grade we go on a 3 day 2 night field trip to mckinny roughs. we go to the alamo in fourth grade . we go to sea world in second grade! our teachers are great. they make sure the children are having fun and doing their work.this is a great school!

- submitted by a community member

July 20, 2013

I attended Gorzycki for 6 and 7th grades. I think out of all middle schools in Austin, or at least South Austin, Gorzycki is one of the best. The teachers are very nice and the homework load isn't too bad. My all time favorite teacher in this school is Mr. Sindt, he teaches 7 or 8th grade math, AP and regular. He is so funny and makes the whole class laugh. The projects that he gave us were really cool and fun! That goes for all the teachers, though. Over all its a very good school, but some of the students can be a little snooty and mean, but that may have just been my experience. I didn't notice a huge problem with bullying or bullying at all and my friends and I never had a problem with anyone. The only reason I didn't come back for 8th grade is because Gorzycki just wasn't a good fit for me, if i was a different person then i would be over joyed to come back to school.

- submitted by a community member

March 06, 2013

I have had children attending Gorzycki (GMS) since it opened, and have nothing but positive things to say about the teachers and the staff. My children have been challenged thru Pre-AP classes, and teachers are available for before and after school tutoring when needed. They are prompt to return calls or emails. The counselors are also readily available. When had an issue our 2nd year with a child being bullied - the principal and AP stepped in immediately and took care of the situation. Standardized test scores are some of the very top in the district!!

- submitted by a parent

September 19, 2012

I would NOT recommend this school. My son came to Gorzycki as a straight A student missing only 1 TAKS question in the fifth grade. After 1 year at the school he was demotivated. As a parent I considered moving him but decided he needed to learn to deal with all kinds of people. We just started seventh grade and are having similar problems. Teachers who give poor grades because the student did not do exactly what they wanted. Identical work product turned in as a group assignement; one student got a 50 the other got a 100. Honor students making a 40 on a Science quiz. The previous year my son turned in an assignment that was 9 out of 12 grades for the six weeks but the only information he received back was the grade, no comments or how he could have done better. What are we teaching with a grade and no feedback? Horrible experience, I'm shopping for private school.

- submitted by a parent

September 11, 2012

BEST SCHOOL EVER!!!! i love EVERY teacher and I'm getting so smart! Thank you so much Gorzycki!!!

- submitted by a community member

June 07, 2012

The school is beautiful, it has new technology, and a good principal, but one of the counselors was amazingly unhelpful and discourteous. It also lacks in high academic standards. My child attended from 6th through 8th grade, took all pre-AP courses and was not challenged at all, and in fact was sent home with coloring packets in Science and Social Studies and would get points off if something was the "wrong" color. She learned everything she needed to know in excellent elementary schools.

- submitted by a parent

February 26, 2012

I do not agree with the previous review. My son is an 8th grader. Which means that his group is the first 6th graders graduating this year. This means that we are the first batch completing all the 3 years in this middle school. My experience here was amazing. Great teachers, parents, students vice principal and principal. When I look forward to high school, I do know we will be missing this environment a LOT. The teachers are very supportive and respond to your message the same day. All the teachers are excellent. My son never wants to miss a day. All the appointments are scheduled after school so we do not miss any homework. It needs a great teacher to change a child's life and these teachers have that potential. The algebra teacher is amazing and very motivating. My son just loves attending her class. He looks forward to that class every day. Hats off to the TEACHERS of GORZYCKI!!!

- submitted by a parent

January 15, 2012

It has a beautiful, new facility and a strong fine arts department. However, old fashioned, outdated teaching which relies on parents to do most of the teaching at home is the norm. Students have eight 42 minutes classes per day that do not allow for in depth, thorough teaching. Electives are limited and they should have block scheduling like most modern day middle school models. The school has great parent involvement and high achieving kids. However, there are little or no programs in place for struggling kids. Systems are still not in place after three years. Things are very disorganized for basic things like registration. There is a weak understanding and implementation of differientiated curriculum. Teaching teams do not communicate with parents or each other. This school has the potential to be great. It just isn't there yet. Test scores are high because of the excellent elementary feeder schools for this middle school and most students have educated parents and the means to help their kids or hire tutors. I would say that it is an average middle school.

- submitted by a parent

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